Checking Off Your Kid's Bucket List: Ride A Zamboni [Video]

For many it could be as big as a trip to Disneyland or as small as a ride on a firetruck. At this time of the year, we parents are all about making our kid’s dreams come true.

So I called in a favor from our local junior team, and last weekend unwrapped an early Christmas present for my son and knocked an item off my 5 year old’s bucket list.

Last weekend my son took turns around an NHL arena with 8 000 people in the stands cheering him on. His face was on the big screen. The announcer introduced him to the crowd.

This was the closest he will probably ever get to being an NHL player, but the thrill was the same as he was the chosen kid to ride the Zamboni around the rink before the opening face-off.

You see, my boys are not big into sports. Whenever we sit down at a game, Zacharie will always ask “which team are we cheering for, Daddy?” I’ll tell him and then he’ll get into it – for a few minutes anyway.

The most “into” a sporting event they’ve been was during the World Series this year. I told them the batter’s nickname was “Big Panda” and the boys thought it was awesome. The next pitch he hit a homerun, and they loved it.

Whenever I bring the boys to a hockey game, they are excited for popcorn and the Zamboni. When we went to a training camp game, I got up to leave after the game was over, and Zacharie said .. “No, daddy! The zamboni is coming!!” He wouldn’t leave until the ice and been scraped after the game.

So you can imagine the size of his smile riding the back of the Zamboni on the big ice. It was a great day, a dream come true, and probably the closest my kid will ever get to being on big-league ice.

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